Wildcats add 11 more to the fold

DURHAM – To address an immediate need, the University of New Hampshire football team shopped locally.

Three homegrown linemen signed national letters of intent Wednesday to play for the Wildcats.

Portsmouth’s Rick Holt, Bedford’s Will McInerny and Amherst’s Jake Kennedy are members of the latest recruiting class that also includes three linebackers, three defensive backs and two wide receivers.

“The biggest thing I always look for,” said coach Sean McDonnell, “is guys that fit what we do and how we do it. I thought our staff did a great job identifying these guys.”

Linemen typically redshirt a year at UNH to get bigger and stronger, although initially size doesn’t appear to be much of an issue.

Holt, who has been on UNH’s radar for three years, is the smallest of the trio at 6-foot-3 and 275 pounds.

“We had to fill the defensive end/linebacker position,” McDonnell said, “and we got three kids I think can play either position.”

Boryeskne ranked third in the state of New Jersey last season with 14 sacks. Pritchett had seven sacks, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. Franklyn is a viewed as a solid run-stopper.

“Whoever runs and can cover the best is probably going to be a linebacker for us,” McDonnell said. “Whoever can put their hand on the ground and take on blocks and get off the ball is probably going to be a defensive end. They give us some flexibility.”

The Wildcats added three versatile athletes to the secondary in Patrick Mensah of New City, N.Y., Geno Miller of Alexandria, Va., and Antonio Natale of Bridgewater, N.J.

Primarily a basketball player, Mensah landed a football scholarship after playing the sport in high school for only one year when he was in on 73 tackles.

“He didn’t look out of place on tape,” McDonnell said. “He’s got good ball skills. The other thing is he tackles pretty well. It wasn’t like he was just a pure athlete out there playing. The kid’s got football instincts.”

Miller had 15 pass breakups and four interceptions as a senior and Natale passed and ran for more than 2,400 yards and 30 touchdowns as a quarterback in a spread offense.

He also had 49 tackles and two interceptions at safety. A physical player, the 5-11, 190-pound Miller could also end up at safety.

“Antonio Natale is a terrific athlete,” McDonnell said. “He’s a kid that will probably start on the offensive side of the ball, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he landed on the defensive side of the ball eventually.”